


Warm

by leavemewiththerazor



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Bullying, Depression, M/M, joshler - Freeform, tyler and josh are high schoolers here, tyler is poor and josh is rich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-28 21:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11426463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leavemewiththerazor/pseuds/leavemewiththerazor
Summary: "Why couldn't you just call me?" Tyler asked."I wanted to talk about it in person."Tyler felt a pit in his stomach. "Josh, are you... Are we...""Wait until we get to the park, Tyler."--Josh needs to talk to Tyler about something.





	Warm

Tyler stepped out on his porch and closed the white screen door behind him. He was quiet, careful to avoid the spots of the porch that creaked under a footstep. The last thing he wanted was to wake his mother.  
He put the hood of his red sweatshirt up and shoved his hands in his pockets, watching his breath form in clouds in front of him, and started walking.  
Josh's house was no more than five minutes away from Tyler's, but the neighborhoods were very different. Josh's house was much bigger, much newer than Tyler's. But that had never mattered too much to either of the boys the way that it had mattered to their other peers.  
Tyler stood behind the tree in Josh's front yard and sent a message to his friend: I'm here.  
In seconds, an upstairs window opened and Tyler could hear the shuffling of hands and feet against the roof. He watched as the other boy tiptoed across the roof, grabbed ahold of the gutter, and squatted. Tyler liked the way Josh's arm muscles flexed against his coat as he slowly lowered his body into a hanging position a couple of feet over the ground.  
Josh let go, his feet hitting the ground and his mouth letting out a soft grunt. He turned and started towards Tyler, who was standing beside the tree, arms crossed.  
"Hey," Josh said softly.  
"Hi," Tyler whispered.  
"Want to walk?"  
"Okay."  
Josh took the other boy's hand in his own and led him down his driveway and onto the sidewalk. He waited until they were a couple of houses away to talk again.  
"How are you?"  
Tyler looked at him with wide eyes. "Fine. What did you want to talk about?"  
"Um," Josh swallowed. "I'll get to that."  
Tyler nodded.  
"It's cold."  
Tyler nodded again.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm just worried. It's usually not good when somebody wants to talk to you at three in the morning." He ended his sentence with a soft, forced laugh.  
"Yeah," Josh said, his voice trailing off.  
The boys were silent for a minute, walking hand in hand down the dark neighborhood. Josh led Tyler down another block.  
"You're shivering," Josh said.  
"It's winter, Josh."  
"Why aren't you wearing a jacket?"  
"I have a sweatshirt. And I'm wearing two shirts underneath."  
"But what about a coat?"  
"I don't have one, Josh."  
Josh rubbed Tyler's hand with his thumb.  
Tyler looked at Josh with pleading eyes. "Are you going to tell me what you wanted to talk about?"  
"We're almost there, Tyler. Just a little bit further."  
"And then you will?"  
"And then I will."  
"Where are we going?"  
"Hillridge."  
"The park?"  
Josh kept his face hard, his head forward. He nodded.  
"Why couldn't you just call me?" Tyler asked.  
"I wanted to talk about it in person."  
Tyler felt a pit in his stomach. "Josh, are you... Are we..."  
"Wait until we get to the park, Tyler."  
Tyler put his head down and held tighter onto Josh's hand. Josh didn't let go, and that made Tyler feel a little better.  
When Josh could make out the rectangular outlines of a wooden sign, he let go of Tyler's hand and walked quickly. Tyler walked faster to keep up, walking behind the other boy. He squinted until he could read the sign: Welcome to Hillridge.  
Tyler shifted his eyes back towards Josh's figure. He was walking even faster, and Tyler had to jog to keep up with him. He kept his eyes focused on Josh as he started down a trail. Tyler didn't want to get lost. He had only been here once before - in the daytime. That was four months ago. The day Josh had kissed Tyler for the first time.  
Josh stopped at a bench and stood, waiting for Tyler to catch up.  
"Why'dya have to go so fast for?" Tyler asked between breaths. Josh was in much better shape than Tyler, his legs much better at fast paces than the skinny boy's were.  
"Sorry." Josh said. "Here, sit down."  
Tyler sat.  
Josh looked out past Tyler and cleared his throat. "So I've been thinking-"  
"Aren't you going to sit down too?" Tyler looked up at Josh, eyes wide again.  
"Sure. Yes, okay." Josh sat down beside the other boy.  
"Josh?" His voice was small, desperate.  
"Hmm?"  
"Are we okay?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, are you-" Tyler's voice cracked. "Are you breaking up with me?"  
"Tyler," Josh said gently, turning to face him. "Tyler, no. Of course not."  
"No?"  
"No, Tyler. No, of course not. I love you."  
Tyler's teeth were chattering and his shoulders - thin and jagged - were shaking. "Then what did you -"  
"Here," Josh shrugged out of his coat and helped Tyler into it. "Better?"  
Tyler nodded.  
"I want to run away."  
Tyler turns his head sharply and looks at him. "What? Why?"  
"I'm not... I'm not happy."  
"Aren't you happy with me?"  
"Tyler.." Josh put a hand on the other boy's knee. "Tyler, yes. I'm so happy with you. But this place.. this town.."  
Tyler stood up, suddenly filled with adrenaline. "You're not happy here? I'm not happy here."  
"Tyler." Josh tensed and raised an arm. "Tyler keep it down."  
"I'm not happy here, Josh. My house is falling apart, my mom is an alcoholic, the kids at school push me into lockers. I'm sad, Josh. I'm sad here. But that's why I have you. That's why we have each other."  
"Tyler, please - "  
He spread his arms out, gestured his hands wildly. "I know you're not happy. I know you aren't. Neither am I. But you make me happy. I thought I made you happy."  
"You do. Tyler, you do. But please, it's late. You're being loud. People are going to - "  
Tyler got quiet, his voice and eyes intense. He crouched down, face close to Josh's. "Josh. Josh, don't you love me? Don't you?"  
"Yes. Tyler, yes."  
"Then why do you want to leave me?"  
And then Josh didn't want to leave. Suddenly the thought of leaving this boy - this small, vulnerable, beautiful boy - seemed so unfathomable. "I don't."  
"You don't?"  
"No."  
"But you said - "  
"I know what I said."  
Tyler's face tensed in confusion. "But you can't just... you said that... why did you - "  
"Tyler, Tyler, shh, sit down." Tyler sat, and Josh put a hand on the other boy's cheek.  
"Why aren't you happy, Josh?"  
"That's a hell of a question, Tyler."  
"Josh," the boy pleaded.  
Josh sighed and put his hands in his lap. "I hate this town."  
"That's why we'll leave. Together, someday."  
"It's so small, Tyler," Josh said. "Everybody knows everybody and if you don't have the right clothes and the right parents then you're nothing. I'm tired of people only liking me for my parents. I'm tired of people only liking me for my money. I'm tired of everybody knowing what I'm doing and who I am. I'm sick of it."  
"I don't like you because of all that, Josh."  
"Tyler - "  
"I like it how your hair is all different colors and how when you smile your cheeks wrinkle in the corners. And I like it how you ride your bike everywhere you go and how when you get nervous you scratch your head all funny. That's how come I like you, Josh. Things like that."  
"Tyler?"  
"Yeah?"  
Josh looked with sad eyes at the boy beside him. "I'm sorry that people aren't very nice to you."  
"That's okay, Josh. You're nice to me."  
"But I wish that everybody else was too. And I wish you had enough money for a winter coat."  
"I don't need all that. I just need you."  
Josh thought that Tyler understood something very important. Something that most people don't understand for a very long time. Something that Josh didn't understand until he heard the words come from Tyler. He looked at Tyler for a few seconds, and then, all at once, took his face in his hands and kissed him hard.  
Tyler sat, motionless at first, and then rested his hands on the back of Josh's neck, kissing him back. For the first time tonight, he felt warm.  
The two boys parted with a heavy breath of hot air and sat with their foreheads together.  
"I love you, Tyler," Josh said.  
"I love you, too."  
"You look tired, Tyler."  
"Only a little bit."  
Josh rubbed the back of Tyler's neck and then sighed. "Let's get you back home, okay?"  
Tyler smiled, small. "Okay, Josh."  
Josh stood up, holding out a hand to Tyler. He took it, and they started down the dirt path leading out of the park. Josh took Tyler's hand in his own.  
The night was quiet. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. The cold made it seem quieter.  
Josh led Tyler to the tree in front of his house and stopped behind it. "I love you, Tyler. Okay?"  
"Okay."  
"And I'll never leave you. Okay?"  
"Okay, Josh."  
Josh turned and took both of Tyler's hands. "You love me too, right?"  
"Of course I do. I love you."  
"Good." Josh smiled and let out a breathy laugh.  
Tyler tilted his chin up and touched his lips to Josh's. "Goodnight, Josh."  
"Goodnight, Tyler." Josh turned towards his house.  
"Wait."  
He turned to face Tyler again. "Yeah?"  
"Your coat."  
"Keep it."  
Tyler smiled, and Josh smiled back. He watched as Josh pulled himself back onto the roof and into his room.  
Tyler walked away from the house in front of him, hands in the pockets of Josh's coat. He smiled. He was warm the whole way home.


End file.
